Movies Graded

Director: Tobe Hooper Stars: Marilyn Burns, Edwin Neal, Allen Danziger Runtime:  83  minutes Synopsis:  Five friends head out to rural Texas to visit the grave of a grandfather. On the way they stumble across what appears to be a deserted house, only to discover something sinister within. Something armed with a chainsaw. Verdict:  With a runtime of only 83 minutes, Tobe Hooper’s classic slasher immediately throws its audience under the burning Texan sun under which a group of friends is driving themselves to a vandalized graveyard. Their already dire trip takes an unexpected turn when they stumble on a hitchhiker who clearly means trouble, leading them to a path that is as horrifying as it is shocking. Released in 1974, “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” paved the way for a generation of iconic slashers that include “Halloween”, “Friday the 13th”, or “A Nightmare on Elm Street”, making it easily one of the most influential horror films of all time. Despite it being one o...

Director: Karyn Kusama Stars: Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, Adam Brody Runtime:  102  minutes Synopsis:  A newly possessed high school cheerleader turns into a succubus who specializes in killing her male classmates. Can her best friend put an end to the horror? Verdict:  “Jennifer’s Body” currently sits at a rotten score of 45% on the Tomato Meter and an aggressively average rating of 5.3 on IMDb. And quite frankly, I’m convinced that this is one of the biggest travesties in recent cinematic history. To be fair, it has achieved cult status over the past few years but boy oh boy do we owe director Karyn Kusama and writer Diablo Cody an apology for its initial failure. I remember watching it when it initially came out and liking it quite a bit. But it’s not until my most recent rewatch that I fully appreciated its clever direction and unique approach to a coming-of-age story built around themes of sexual assault and the deterioration of teenage friendships. Jennifer, pl...

Director: Denis Villeneuve Stars: Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya Runtime:  155  minutes Synopsis:   Feature adaptation of Frank Herbert's science fiction novel, about the son of a noble family entrusted with the protection of the most valuable asset and most vital element in the galaxy. Verdict:  A few months ago, I took it upon myself to read Frank Herbert’s timeless masterpiece “Dune”. Written in 1965, the novel played a monumental part in redefining the modern science-fiction genre, paving the way for space operas such as Star Wars or Star Trek to reach new heights in the blockbuster business. It’s an important but also impressive piece of media that tells a captivating tale set in a meticulously crafted universe filled with various planets, a rich history, multiple characters, and a technology foreign to us. It benefits from a lore so dense that it was labeled for a while as being unadaptable for the big screen, a theory that was proven in 1984 when...

Director: Paul Schrader Stars: Oscar Isaac, Tiffany Haddish, Tye Sheridan Runtime:  109   minutes Synopsis:  Redemption is the long game in Paul Schrader's THE CARD COUNTER. Told with Schrader's trademark cinematic intensity, the revenge thriller tells the story of an ex-military interrogator turned gambler haunted by the ghosts of his past. Verdict:  Once recognized as one of Hollywood’s most gifted screenwriters, Paul Schrader has since not only established himself as quite the witty Facebook troll, but also proven that he’s as talented behind the camera as he is behind his typewriter. One thing audiences must keep in mind when booking a ticket to his latest project is that they’re setting themselves up for disappointment if they’re longing for a riveting, fast-paced, poker-centric thrill ride a la “Casino Royale” or “Molly’s Game”. Because “The Card Counter” very much ticks the boxes of a traditional Schrader character study of a complex individual haunted by demo...

Director: Satoshi Kon Stars: Junko Iwao, Rica Matsumoto, Shinpachi Tsuji Runtime:  81  minutes Synopsis: A pop singer gives up her career to become an actress, but she slowly goes insane when she starts being stalked by an obsessed fan and what seems to be a ghost of her past. Verdict:  On the internet, anyone can become anything. We’re entirely in control of what aspects of ourselves we want to show the rest of the world and which ones we want to keep hidden. It’s a scary place where reality and fiction are one and the same, and where any user can easily lose track of what’s genuine and what’s not. This, to me, shapes Satoshi Kon’s directorial debut’s unsettling atmosphere. “Perfect Blue” follows Mima, a pop star turned actress whose career change turns out to be much harsher than initially anticipated. In order to complete her transition, she is asked to perform a vastly explicit scene in a TV show that will forever alter the public image she had built for herself in h...

Director: Stephen Chow Stars: Stephen Chow, Wei Zhao, Yat-Fei Wong Runtime: 112   minutes Synopsis:  A young Shaolin follower reunites with his discouraged brothers to form a soccer team using their martial art skills to their advantage. Verdict:  Here's a fun little fact about me: I love football. Not the fake American variant in which neither feet nor balls are used but, in fact, the one in which 22 players kick a ball around for at least 90 minutes. I have been following, playing, and breathing the game for over 15 years, way before my love of movies began, but was never able to connect my two passions due to a severe lack of good films about the sport. I grew up on the Goal trilogy, vaguely remember watching Sylvester Stallone's "Victory" when I was younger, and maybe checked out a couple of indies like "The Damned United" or "Marvellous", but none of them really stuck with me as much as I wanted them too. With Stephen Chow's "Shaolin ...

Director: David Lowery Stars: Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton Runtime:  130  minutes Synopsis: A fantasy re-telling of the medieval story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Verdict:  Now rise, Sir Lowery, for your take on the celebrated Arthurian fable of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is nothing short of a cinematic triumph. Set in medieval times, it stars Dev Patel as a soon-to-be knight who must finish a peculiar game he started with an odd-looking foe. His journey becomes one for the ages, shaped by themes of honesty, courage, manhood, vanity, or kindness, a true exploration of the meaning of knighthood in a literal and figurative way. While its weakest component has to be a script that could’ve benefited from more depth and less fooling around, this small-scale epic more than makes up for it in its optical department. I’m not exaggerating when I say that it may be the most visually striking film I’ve seen since Denis Villeneuve’s “Blade Runner 2049”. It’s...

Director: Éric Rohmer Stars: Amanda Langlet, Arielle Dombasle, Pascal Greggory Runtime: 95   minutes Synopsis:  Marion is about to divorce from her husband and takes her 15-year-old niece Pauline on a vacation to Granville. She meets an old love... Verdict:  Another day, another Éric Rohmer film to brighten my mood! The French director’s reclining style is one I cannot get enough of during these stressful times. His movies are sublime, sunny, and uplifting in their own special way, blurring the line between ultra-realism and dreamlike sceneries. “Pauline at the Beach” is yet another project of his that checks all three components that make his work so ever soothing. With radiant characters, engaging dialogue, and locations that will make your eyes melt, it’s a film that succeeds at showcasing a handful of characters’ views on love and relationships while maintaining a light ambiance that makes for a perfect after-midnight watch. I absolutely adored sitting back to experie...

Director: Éric Rohmer Stars: Melvil Poupaud, Amanda Langlet, Gwenaëlle Simon Runtime: 113   minutes Synopsis:  A shy maths graduate takes a holiday in Dinard before starting his first job. He hopes his sort-of girlfriend will join him, but soon strikes up a friendship with another girl working in town. She in turn introduces him to a further young lady who fancies him. Thus the quiet young lad finds he is having to do some tricky juggling in territory new to him. Verdict:  Gaspard, a young secluded math graduate with a penchant for music, takes a short holiday in a small commune in northwestern France to work on his compositions and take advantage of the gorgeous beaches there before starting his first job. His plans are quickly challenged by his introduction to Margot, a local waitress/ethnologist who pushes him out of his comfort zone by becoming his friend and initiating multiple conversations about all sorts of topics over the course of his stay.  It’s a wholesom...

Director: Gaspar Noé Stars: Béatrice Dalle, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Abbey Lee Runtime:   minutes Synopsis:  Two actresses, Béatrice Dalle and Charlotte Gainsbourg, are on a film set telling stories about witches - but that's not all. 'Lux Æterna' is also an essay on cinema, the love of film, and on-set hysterics. Verdict:  Those familiar with Gaspar Noé’s body of work will tell you that the French filmmaker’s strengths don’t lie in his storytelling abilities. The scripts he works on are often only a few pages long, and he’s known in the industry to heavily rely on his crew’s improvisation skills to carry his projects. He has perfected imperfection so well that his movies always push the boundaries of filmmaking, providing the audience with an unforgettable experience that some adore, some loathe, but none forget. Just like the rest of his filmography, “Lux Æterna” is guaranteed to divide moviegoers. It may have an unusually short runtime of 51 minutes, but Noé makes the mos...

Director: Bora Kim Stars: Park Ji-hu, Kim Sae-byeok, Jeong In-gi Runtime: 138   minutes Synopsis:  Seoul 1994, in the year the Seongsu Bridge collapsed, 14-year-old Eunhee wanders the city searching for love. Verdict:  Bora Kim’s semi-autographical coming-of-age movie about a young girl’s struggles with patriarchal abuse, acceptance, and identity during the mid-1990s is an intimate invitation into the bubble in which our protagonist resides. It’s a powerful watch from beginning to end in which Eun-hee’s relationship with her family, friends, and teachers is examined from more than one angle. She’s admirably portrayed by rising star Park Ji-hu who effectively succeeds in capturing her character’s many layers of exasperation. Her family considers her to be an embarrassment; her teachers consider her to be a delinquent with no bright future, and you can tell that her lonesome nature has her on the edge of a psychological breakdown at all times. It’s her against the world, an...

Director: Jon M. Chu Stars: Anthony Ramos, Corey Hawkins, Leslie Grace Runtime: 143   minutes Synopsis:  A film version of the Broadway musical in which Usnavi, a sympathetic New York bodega owner, saves every penny every day as he imagines and sings about a better life. Verdict:  Rejoice, everybody, for the season of Lin-Manuel Miranda is finally upon us! Following the success of “Hamilton” last year, he struck Hollywood gold by signing deals left and right that will see him write, produce, and even direct a bunch of upcoming projects. Directly adapted from the stage musical that made him the theater icon that he is today, “In the Heights” takes place under the heat of a Hispanic neighborhood in New York City and follows its community in their search for a better life. Directed by Jon M. Chu (“Step Up 3D”, “Crazy Rich Asians”), the film relies on an ensemble cast to bring an unmatched energy to its atmosphere. Anthony Ramos and Melissa Barrera are both standouts, but it’...

Creator: Brad Ingelsby Stars: Kate Winslet, Julianne Nicholson, Jean Smart Synopsis: A detective in a small Pennslyvania town investigates a local murder while trying to keep her life from falling apart. Verdict:  Marianne Sheehan, or Mare for short, fits the description of a character we’ve seen countless times before. She’s a hardboiled detective with a troubled past living in the small Pennsylvanian town of Easttow where a series of unusual events set her on a journey filled with twists and turns. It’s a premise we’ve seen unfold in past shows such as “True Detective” or “Sharp Objects”, but leave it to Kate Winslet to completely turn that cliché on its head! Now I’m a sucker of investigative crime dramas, and “Mare of Easttown” seemed like a limited series that was right up my alley. I knew that I was going to at least find some sort of entertainment in it, especially with such big names attached to it. What I wasn’t expecting, however, was to develop a strong attachment to the...

Director: Shin'ichirô Ueda Stars: Takayuki Hamatsu, Yuzuki Akiyama, Harumi Shuhama Runtime: 96   minutes Synopsis:  Things go badly for a hack director and film crew shooting a low-budget zombie movie in an abandoned WWII Japanese facility when they are attacked by real zombies. Verdict:  Shin'ichirô Ueda’s low-budget horror-comedy “One Cut of the Dead” may be one of the wildest zombie movies I have ever seen. It’s impossible to talk about it without spoiling the whole thing, so I’ll vaguely state my thoughts on it and urge any lover of this subgenre to check it out as soon and as blind as possible. Benefiting from some truly impressive filmmaking tricks, the film takes a direction that caught me off guard in the best possible way. Nearly every criticism I had about it at first was turned into a strength as revelations were progressively made, all leading to a crazy final act that left me in absolute awe.  Goofy musical score and slightly underwhelming second act asi...

Director: Masaki Kobayashi Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Michiyo Aratama, Tamao Nakamura Runtime:   190   minutes Synopsis:  His ideals challenged by life as a conscript in war-time Japan's military, a pacifist faces ever greater tests in his fight for survival. Verdict:  Kaji's arc comes to a close in a harrowing way in the final two parts of what I firmly consider now to be one of the greatest trilogies of all time. His contributions at a labor camp and later on the battlefield have made him a shadow of what he once was. Only his love for Michiko and his socialist beliefs remain from the pacifist we've grown to admire in the first chapter of his story. He has become a product of the atrocities of war, a changed man who has to live with the burden of having killed soldiers who were thrown in situations similar to his. His psychologic journey resembles that of Dante in the Divine Comedy, where Virgil, representing conflict in his case, guides him from heaven (No Greater Lo...

Director: Deniz Gamze Erguven Stars: Gunes Sensoy, Doga Zeynep Doguslu, Tugba Sunguroglu Runtime:   97  minutes Synopsis:  When five orphan girls are seen innocently playing with boys on a beach, their scandalized conservative guardians confine them while forced marriages are arranged. Verdict:  Femicides and domestic violence cases have been on the rise in Turkey for the past few years, prompting women to take their demands to the streets lately to showcase the lenient methods adopted by the state to guarantee their safety in a country governed by a patriarchal system in which honor killings are unfortunately still of actuality. In fact, allow me to throw some statistics at you to better highlight how terrifying the situation is in the Middle Eastern country: 38% of Turkish women admitted to having been victims of domestic abuse at some point in their lives, while 34% of men declared that they believe in the necessity of the occasional beating of their partners. To ...

Director: Abbas Kiarostami Stars: Homayoun Ershadi, Abdolrahman Bagheri, Afshin Khorshid Bakhtiari Runtime: 95  minutes Synopsis:  An Iranian man drives his truck in search of someone who will quietly bury him under a cherry tree after he commits suicide. Verdict:  Oddly enough, my viewing of “Taste of Cherry” reminded me of my first time watching “Requiem for a Dream”. If you’ve seen Abbas Kiarostami’s 1997 drama about a man’s search for someone to assist his planned suicide, you’ll probably find the comparison peculiar. Darren Aronofsky’s highly energetic film centered around drug use may be the technical polar opposite of the minimalistic Iranian modern classic, but they both seize the opportunity to denounce the subject serving as the foundation of the narrative. I understand that they do it in vastly different ways, but this is just a thought that hit me as I was taking in the many conversations held between Mr. Badii and his guests in his old jeep. Right off the bat...

Director: Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack Stars: Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, Bruce Cabot Runtime: 100  minutes Synopsis:   A film crew goes to a tropical island for an exotic location shoot and discovers a colossal ape who takes a shine to their female blonde star. He is then captured and brought back to New York City for public exhibition. Verdict:  When a group of white American men set foot on a remote island in the middle of nowhere to make it the main location of their newest film, they are greeted by its local tribe and the giant ape they worship. Kong is unlike anything they’ve ever seen, he’s a colossal beast that is more intimidating than dangerous, an impressive animal whose most striking characteristic is his capability of loving a human being. But in true American fashion, the crew in question only sees him as a potential investment, an attraction that will draw hundreds of thousands of people. To them, he’s just a giant green bill. If it’s not already ...

Director: Satyajit Ray Stars: Kanu Bannerjee, Karuna Bannerjee, Subir Bannerjee Runtime: 125   minutes Synopsis:  Impoverished priest Harihar Ray, dreaming of a better life for himself and his family, leaves his rural Bengal village in search of work. Verdict:  Oddly enough, “Pather Panchali” not only marks my introduction to the legendary Satyajit Ray’s work but also serves as the first step in my hopefully long journey discovering Indian Cinema. I was stunned to realize that I had never seen a movie from the rich South Asian land before and hope to right that wrong in the future, especially after experiencing Ray’s directorial debut and first chapter in the Apu trilogy. What struck me most about the classic is how sincere and human it is. The dynamic, struggles, wholesome moments, and crushed dreams experienced by the poverty struck family at the center of it felt as honest as it possibly could, a miracle considering the many issues that occurred behind the scenes which...

Director: Jacques Demy Stars: Anouk Aimée, Marc Michel, Jacques Harden Runtime: 90   minutes Synopsis:  A bored young man meets with his former girlfriend, now a cabaret dancer and single mother, and soon finds himself falling back in love with her. Verdict:  My life has significantly improved ever since I discovered Jacques Demy’s enchanting work. From Cherbourg to Rochefort, he invited me into a world where music reigns supreme, a world where reality and dream are one and the same. His directorial debut “Lola” may not be a musical, but Michel Legrand’s symphonic score makes it seem like one. His timeless composition that combines original symphonies and existing ones added color to the black and white classic, a well-needed attribute for a film that relies on a lyrically romantic atmosphere to drive its plot forward. The plot itself is a rather simple one. It follows the single-mother and dancer Lola’s (Anouk Aimée) interactions with a couple of men who are not hiding ...